Catholic father of seven children Mark Houck has been acquitted of federal FACE Act charges Monday in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, according to the Catholic News Agency.
Houck, 48, was raided and arrested at gunpoint by FBI agents in front of his wife and children Sept. 23, 2022 after he pushed someone outside of an abortion-providing Planned Parenthood facility Oct. 13, 2021.
Houck said he pushed the abortion activist because his 12-year-old son was being harassed.
The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) permits the federal government to bring criminal charges for "threats of force, obstruction, and property damage intended to interfere with reproductive healthcare services."
Houck's arrest and case made national headlines as an abuse of power by the Justice Department and a weaponizing of government against speech and opinions in opposition of the liberal Biden administration agenda.
Houck likes in Kintnersville in rural Bucks County, Pennsylvania — which was a hotspot for Biden's 2020 presidential campaign, further politicizing the case.
Houck faced two counts of FACE Act violations and 11 years in federal prison for pushing a pro-abortion heckler of his 12-year-old son. Houck was there providing sidewalk counseling for The King's Men national faith group he runs.
Houck allegedly pushed Bruce Love, 73, who denied verbally provoking Houck.
The jury found Houck innocent of the FACE charges Monday.
U.S. District Judge Gerald Pappert had asked the prosecution away from the jury's ears whether the federal FACE Act charges "seem to be stretched a little thin here."
There have been 22 House members and around a dozen senators supporting Houck publicly, and this new GOP-led House has created a new committee to provide oversight of the weaponization of the federal government for political causes — making this case one that might potentially be reviewed.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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